Framework for pavement strains, embodied energy, carbon footprint for pavement maintenance types

Sustainable pavement maintenance planning requires a balanced consideration of both structural performance and environmental impacts. In this study, embodied energy (EE), carbon footprint (CF), and pavement strain responses are evaluated for different maintenance strategies recommended in Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines, including preventive maintenance, resurfacing, strengthening, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. The analysis is carried out on an 840 km state highway network in Ramanagara district, India, using distress data obtained from ROMDAS and deflection data from Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) surveys at 500 m intervals. These datasets were used to derive layer moduli and compute critical strain responses through IITPave. The results indicate that material production is the primary contributor to environmental impact, accounting for nearly 88% of total EE and 87% of total CF. Transportation contributes around 10–10.5%, while construction activities such as laying and compaction have a relatively minor share. Among the maintenance options, preventive treatments show the least environmental burden, highlighting the benefit of timely intervention. In contrast, more intensive treatments such as strengthening, rehabilitation, and reconstruction result in progressively higher energy use and emissions. The relationship between pavement thickness and strain response was further examined across different Pavement Condition Index (PCI) levels. It was observed that reducing critical strain levels requires higher structural capacity, which significantly increases both EE and CF. Overall, the study brings out a clear connection between structural performance and environmental impact, supporting more informed and sustainable decision-making in pavement maintenance.